MTV happy with Rock Band sales and downloads, fans grumpy about broken guitars

MTV is claiming that Rock Band is flying off the shelves, but that may be cold …

While there are no solid sales numbers yet, MTV is bullish onRock Band sales. The game is "flying off shelves," MTV told Reuters. With a $170 price tag—and stiff competition from the successful Guitar Hero 3—Rock Band has an uphill battle ahead of it for king of the rhythm game hill, but if MTV is to be believed, the game is off to a good start.

"It's fantastic," Mika Salmi, head of digital at MTV, told Reuters "Downloads are going great, rockband.com is going great with people logging on and downloading stuff from there. It's got a lot of legs, we're in it for the long term." The downloadable content is already off to a solid start, with weekly song updates that are being released at a lower price than comparable Guitar Hero 3 content.

One issue that may darken the thoughts of fans is the reports of defective controllers, a fact that Harmonix has already owned up to and addressed in a statement. The guitars are being replaced, and compatibility issues are being looked into, but these measures may not be enough for early adopters with broken guitars and a $170 hole in their pockets.

This is a game to watch simply because of the complexity of the peripherals involved and the high price. If Rock Band is a success in the market, it may open the door for more games with a higher price and more involved peripherals (along with plenty of knock-off products). Fans may simply be hoping for extra guitars at retail and peripherals that won't break during intense play.